California: leading auto brands based on new sales 2022
In 2022, Toyota was the best-selling car brand in California, recording around 289,300 unit sales. That same year, the Japanese brand was also the second leading car brand in the United States behind Ford—the third best-seller in California. Tesla was second in California's top three best-sellers and the best-selling electric vehicle brand in the state.
The Californian mass-motorization
As one of the most populous federal states, California had the largest number of licensed drivers in 2021. Over 27.11 million people were licensed to drive a car in the Golden State that year, which was over 8.8 million drivers more than in Texas, the second state in the ranking. The high number of drivers in California therefore contributed to the federal state being the largest passenger car market in the United States in 2021 at nearly double the number of automobile registrations recorded in Florida. This reliance on passenger cars contributed to California ranking second in the U.S. for transportation-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2020.
Electric vehicles boost the market
In an effort to curb transport emissions, California has set measures to accelerate the sale of new zero-emission vehicles. In 2022, there were nearly 763,600 battery-electric passenger vehicles in circulation in the Golden State, and electric vehicle sales volume benefitted from a steep increase in 2021 and 2022. This rise in popularity was supported by the sale of battery-electric vehicles with a driving range equal to or over 200 miles and explains Tesla's position as the second best-selling auto brand across propulsion types.
The Californian mass-motorization
As one of the most populous federal states, California had the largest number of licensed drivers in 2021. Over 27.11 million people were licensed to drive a car in the Golden State that year, which was over 8.8 million drivers more than in Texas, the second state in the ranking. The high number of drivers in California therefore contributed to the federal state being the largest passenger car market in the United States in 2021 at nearly double the number of automobile registrations recorded in Florida. This reliance on passenger cars contributed to California ranking second in the U.S. for transportation-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2020.
Electric vehicles boost the market
In an effort to curb transport emissions, California has set measures to accelerate the sale of new zero-emission vehicles. In 2022, there were nearly 763,600 battery-electric passenger vehicles in circulation in the Golden State, and electric vehicle sales volume benefitted from a steep increase in 2021 and 2022. This rise in popularity was supported by the sale of battery-electric vehicles with a driving range equal to or over 200 miles and explains Tesla's position as the second best-selling auto brand across propulsion types.
